MAKING THE SWITCH

摘要

The tangible results of Michael Gove's cherished free schools policy are now there for all to see. The first 24 free schools opened in September with a further eight set to open next year and another 63 from September 2012. The cynics said it couldn't be done. The doubters said parents didn't have the time or skills to manage budgets, find premises or employ teachers, and that the policy was educationally divisive. But the education secretary, aided and abetted by journalist and campaigner Toby Young and various parent groups, has managed to pull it off. For his part, Gove was determined to make it as easy as possible: any building could be converted into a school without planning permission and normal regulations wouldn't apply. But would buildings designed to be supermarkets or health centres be suitable for converting into schools, which also have very specific but different requirements such as playgrounds and sports halls? To find out we asked architect and technical expert Peter Caplehorn to assess two recently opened free schools.